Déjà Vu
by nineixnayes
Summary: All this hiding and running from Hayate and his assassins is starting to remind Kasumi vaguely of a game she and her brother used to play. [OneShot]


Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, just the story itself; you can claim that if you feel.

Synopsis: The routine of running away from assassins reminded Kasumi vaguely of a game she and Hayate used to play; it was practically the same, just because it's hide and seek.

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She was running. It was familiar. The feeling, the conspicuousness, the reality. The memory was vast but it was almost approachable. It was as though happening, like she had turn back in time without hesitation. She dared not look to the back, fleeing her way to a tree, she was sure not to let them catch her off guard.

She wasn't ready for this, nothing of this. Once again, Hayate had sent a group of assassins to hunt her down. She was his own sister, his own _run-away shinobi _sister. She's not even going to try to understand what he's trying to do to her; did he really mean every ambush? He wanted to kill her. She just wished he would let her go, maybe even remember every hour they've spent all their life with each other.

The panting began to increase from her point of view. She stood on a firm branch hiding behind the tree, her dagger held firmly in between sweaty clutches. She's waiting for no one, just packages sent in the form of ninjas especially sealed with an uncomprehending death wish from _nii-san. _

Her back leaned against the tree; face upright, her eyes squinting a little. The sun wasn't bright, but it managed to penetrate the heavy protection from the leaves, casting random rays all around her body. She didn't try to do anything; instead the more she stayed still, the more the situation was becoming so familiar, like a portrait taken straight from her memory.

_Déjà vu. _

She knew this; it was understandable, too apparent, and so clear, that she could almost reach out her hand and catch it for just _one…._

"_-Ichi …Ni, San …Yon, Goh …Roku…" The little voice let out a sigh in between counts. The little voice belonged to a golden haired girl who hated seeking; it was the worst, and especially when it's against someone who uses ninjutsu to hide himself. It wasn't fair, she always beamed. He was eight and was able to use a couple of simple techniques to conceal himself. While her being six is giving her a great disadvantage, she was too little to perform any technique, and cheating isn't exactly her type of fun. _

_While counting until fifty, only fifty, Kasumi thought of the many places her brother would hide in, it was a huge forest, but they've settled in a perimeter where it created boundaries on where they would hide. Kasumi fidgeted while still counting, if she doesn't find him in time, he's going to be right for the twentieth time. She could never find him. _

_It was long and losing ground, when she hit fifty, her worrying had overcome her. She walked at first, and then picked up her pace, running from side to side, peeking through the opening of logs, tumbling across undiscovered burrows only to find winter rabbits staring at her with onyx eyes. She moaned at a disadvantage, he was going to be right again. She hated it. Sometimes, it wasn't even fun anymore. _

"_Nii-san…" Kasumi heaved a heavy breath, landed herself on the ground with a simple thud, crossing her legs, scarred across her face a dangerous pout. _

_Déjà vu. _

"Nii-san" Kasumi muttered under her breath, so low, that even she couldn't hear it very well. She peered over the tree trunk, a shadow of a well-built shinobi, with shoulder length hair, a hitai-ate tied around his head, the remaining fabric danced around him and two swords gracefully placed on his back was standing still as though eyeing her strictly. It was just an angle.

This was too ironic, she didn't want him to find her, _she_ wanted to find him.

_Kasumi breathed a couple, she was in between of giving up and bored of the unsuccessfulness that leads to jealousy of her brother for being so good at the very effortless game. She crossed her arms; eyes closed trying to use a ninjutsu her brother taught her on tracking senses and so forth. Before even letting a succeed fall through, he was right there bending over, greeting her identical brown eyes with his at the moment she opened them. _

"_A little early to give up, ne?" Hayate gave a smirk that Kasumi couldn't understand, it was in between taunt and pity, but whatever it is, she didn't like it and wish he would just yell the usual, 'I win!', aggravating her to death. _

"_What's the point, you always win, nii-san" Kasumi complained, stating out the obvious but this only made Hayate laugh altogether, placing his hand on top of her head, ruffling the golden red hair of hers and finally gave Kasumi an understandable smile. She probably made an effort to smile back, but her pout remained untouched. _

"_Close your eyes" Hayate told her gently, she refused at first, confused at the want, but finally obeyed as Hayate helped himself, gently sliding his palm downwards her eyelids. He helped her get off the ground, guided her to walk as her closed eyes shun her out of the light. "Now count" Hayate whispered to her ears. _

_It didn't take long for Kasumi to count as ordered; she believed maybe he just wanted to prove himself again, showing off as usual. _

_Déjà vu. _

Kasumi had long been always closing her eyes around her brother. Finding him or not, the best hours are when her eyes are shun out of the failure of life. Here she was with her back to the tree trunk, her eyelids closed, her fists hardened, but her heart was breaking. All she wanted was to find him, succeed on finding him, just once. Stop him from proving himself all the time, making him find her and then forcing her to let him help her off the ground.

Hayate knew she was there, but he had decided to give her another chance.

"_I found you" Kasumi smiled this time, grabbing on to the right sleeve of her brother, pushing him to the ground and pinning him down with a winning smile. Hayate himself could only smile for her success. Even it if did earn a little consideration from himself. _

She found him once. She just didn't remember. Her dagger held tightly, she leaped of the branch, on to the other side of the tree, facing her brother once more, with a winning smile.

"Found you"

After all it's just hide and seek.

**End **


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